Posted on 06/27/2010 5:46:22 AM PDT by STONEWALLS
Daphne Batts sometimes wonders if practical jokers with hidden cameras are spying on her as she interviews people for jobs at Bankrate Inc., an online publisher of financial information in North Palm Beach, Fla.
That's because job candidates—including experienced professionals—behave so inappropriately that Ms. Batts, vice president of human resources, suspects she's the target of a prank.
"I find myself peering out my blinds to see if Ashton Kutcher is on my office balcony with a camera crew," she says, referring to the host of the former MTV show "Punk'd," which featured pranks being played on celebrities.
Of course, there's nothing funny about a bad job interview, especially for the long-term unemployed. Yet hiring managers say many job hunters don't take their search efforts seriously enough and make the kind of mistakes that they should know better to avoid. In fact, many say they are frequently amazed by some of the colossal blunders they witness at a time when there are five job seekers for every job opening, according to the Labor Department.
Here's a look at eight bone-headed moves job hunters commonly make.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Because the interviewer might expect you to share? :)
Especially not Shiner. See my post #21.
My Wife used to manage a pizza place, and one of the guys who worked there had more metal in his face than the terminator.
The odd thing was, he was the best employee they ever had - always courteous and a very hard worker. I just can’t figure out why anyone would want visually mangle themselves like that.
Well, if I really wanted the job, I might be willing to give up one bottle out of my six pack....oh, you’re right. I ain’t sharing my Shiner!
“The most exciting interview I had was when a candidate vowed that I’d be a fool not to hire him and that his goal upon being hired would be to “get me promoted so he could take my job.””
Not very original, a movie cliche.
I reread your post and I may have caught the disconnect. You state that you are a hiring manager. Can I assume that there is a HR department that sends you the cream of the total applicants? That would be why you never see some of the horror stories. They are told that they will be called and never are.
That is actually what I meant-a portfolio type thing with my creds, resumes, etc.
I believe the story.
I’ve interviewed people for a professional job who have:
___ Shown up wearing flip flops (with dirty feet even)
___ Had multiple piercings
___ Have told me intimate details about their life
___ Have told me if I didn’t hire them they *could* file a discrimination lawsuit.
___ Have told me they will not work for a female boss.
___ Have reeked of cigarette smoke.
___ Have taken cell phone calls during the interview.
___ Have brought a young kid (and had it wait in the reception area where she asked the receptionist to watch him)
___ Have lied about having a degree.
___ The usual mispellings on resumes.
In addition, I know another person who took an interviewie to lunch who brought his own chopsticks to eat with (the person wasn’t Asian and it wasn’t an asian restuarant).
I read them. How can people be that silly and unprofessional? They’re trying to make a joke out of the whole process. No one is that dumb.
I was the headhunter for faculty for a major university for many years. I interviewed daily.....all professionals with Masters degrees or doctorates. I never had 1 interview even close to any of these stories.
I tend to agree with you.
I always HEAR about such cases, but I have never heard of these things actually happening. Urban legends..
This isn’t an urban legend - a man came in to my office with his 3 year old who’s legal name was Bronco Billy. Let’s just say, the name fit because he did nothing but bounce off the walls the entire time.
That's not a really common microscope to use --usually that's for something to do with physics, academic research, or making a type of advanced silicon chip.
I beamed and exclaimed, "You can use an SEM, wow..!"
She said, "I just used my friend's resume..."
This answer completely astonished me --embellishing sure, but simply using the resume of ANOTHER PERSON...?
Like something out of the Twilight Zone, my colleagues continued interviewing her and even expressed annoyance that this would give me pause.
Funny. I went on a job interview a while back dressed in a jacket and tie. The guy that interviewed kept referencing how I was over dressed for the type of job (industrial maintenance) we were discussing. I didn’t like the guy so I didn’t pursue it. I’m guessing he had a buddy he wanted to take the job so he did his best to make me feel unwanted.
How about vacant, 24 year old female HR clowns who say things like, “I don’t know about that stuff, I don’t work on the shop floor.”
"You should also take out all your funky piercings and hide your tattoos," says career coach Cynthia Shapiro, who is also a former human-resources executive. "Even if you wear a business suit, if you have a piercing through your lip" it doesn't look good.
That fact that this even needs to be said is very discouraging...
“I just can’t figure out why anyone would want visually mangle themselves like that.”
Honestly, I think it’s a manifestation of mental illness.
For entry-level jobs, most people need an attitude adjustment. All through their schooling, everything has been about them—their development, their needs, their interests . . . Now it is about the company’s needs. Read up on the company and figure out how you would fit in.
Older applicants can use that too: don’t mention any of your own reasons for wanting the job; just focus on how you can help them out. This may seem so basic that it’s not worth even mentioning.
It does happen- I worked with a person who was going
to interview for a railraoad engineer job-
kept telling me he had an inside track to be
hired (had friends AND family members working for
the R-R)- he showed up at 8AM still hungover- slurring
his speech- and when they said they could SMELL alcohol
on him - he admitted he was out ALL night- but did not
currently have a Job so did not think it was a big
deal!- LOL- I was laughing so hard ..tears were coming
to my eyes- .. he felt insulted by me for laughing!!
can you say clueless?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.